Let’s open our Bibles this morning to John chapter 5. I want to tell you of a wonderful thing that Jody and I watched on YouTube the other day. A middle aged man had died, probably from a heart attack, and medical personnel were working on him, all of this was being videotaped, they were literally pounding on his chest, giving CPR, and doing all they could to revive him. But he was dead, clearly dead, no doubt about it, and the medical personnel gave up. And then it showed as a man came into the room and he went over to the man and knelt by him and simply prayed for the man to live. And what happened next would have shocked you as it did us; this man came back to life as clear as can be, and he’s alive today and going around to churches sharing his testimony of how he was dead and now he is alive, and giving glory to God for that.
“Let’s pray: Our Father in heaven, it is to you we come this morning, it is to You we look, it is to You we plead that you would come upon Your church, that You would raise your church oh God, that you would make us live, that You would make us to be a God-saturated church, a church filled with Your glory oh God. Please get our attention off of man and methodologies and strategies, and instead our Father please direct us to Jesus, help us fix our eyes on Jesus, Who is the glory of God and through whom we have forgiveness of sins, and in whom we live forever. In the matchless name of Jesus’, Amen!”
If you were to answer the question this morning, “what is Christianity”, what would you say? Many people would say that it is a religion, like Islam or Judaism, etc. or some would say it is a “crutch” for those who are not strong enough to make it through life on their own, or some would say it is a list of do’s and don’ts, a set of rules; others would say it’s no fun, or a bunch of hooey, a way to get my money. But all of these entirely miss the boat as to what Christianity really is.
And the text we have before us this morning tells us that Christianity is really a resurrection; it is life from the dead, it is new life. Not a religion, but rather a resurrection. That’s what Christianity is; it is looking at my past life of unbelief and sin, and understanding that I was dead, literally a spiritual corpse. I was dead in my sins and I was dead to God. And it’s understanding that now, through faith in Jesus Christ I am actually raised from the dead, I am alive, I’m living now. That’s what Christianity really is. It’s life from the dead.
Well in the passage before us this morning, Jesus heals a man who was an invalid for 38 years, and the Jews persecuted Him because He healed Him on the Sabbath, and last week we saw that Jesus gives 7 statements that prove His Lordship, and His right to heal people, and to do with all people whatever He wants, whenever He wants, on whatever day of the week He wants, because He is Lord. Let’s review those from last week: First proof: Jesus is equal with the Father (verse 16-18). 2: He does what the Father does (verse 17). 3: He has power over life and death (verse 21). 4: He is Judge of all the earth (verses 22-23). 5: He is in control of every person’s destiny (verses 21-24). 6: He has life in Himself (verse 26). 7: He will raise every person from the dead at the end of the world (verses 28-30). In other words, Jesus is Lord!
Today we’re going to look a little closer at verses 24-30 together, because what we see here is two resurrections. Note them as we read together:
John 5:24-30 (NIV)
24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
Here are two separate and distinct resurrections, let’s compare them for a second: the first is in verse 25 and it is available right now: See where it says “a time is coming and has now come...” The second resurrection is future as verse 28 says “a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out.” The first is spiritual, it is a resurrection from sin and condemnation, the second is physical, a resurrection from the grave. The first focuses on faith, the second evidences works. Jesus is making the case for His Lordship. He can raise people from the dead right now, spiritually, and He will raise every person from the dead in the future, physically.
The first resurrection: If we look at verses 24-25 we see the condition of every person by birth, before we believe in Jesus: dead and condemned. See it’s when we hear and believe we cross over from death to life, and from condemnation to justification. So before believing in Jesus we are dead to God and condemned in our sin. Oh we may be nice people, we may be educated, intelligent, popular, and even religious, but before we hear and believe the gospel we are dead and condemned.
Adults and children both need to understand this, because if we don’t we can start comparing ourselves favorably with other people, as if there were smart dead people and dumb dead people, as if there were good dead people and bad dead people, black dead people and white dead people. No those are the wrong distinctions to be made, the only distinctions are those who are dead or those who are alive, unbelievers and believers.
Now I really want us to see this point, because this is not a popular thing to say and so many pass over this truth, but I want us to see it loud and clear, so l invite you to turn to Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2 explains what it means to be dead in sin. In other words, there are some ways to tell if people are dead physically: they are not breathing there is no heartbeat, they have no pulse, etc. Even so, Ephesians 2 gives us ways to tell if people are dead spiritually.
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. Ephesians 2:1-3
So before coming to faith in Christ the Ephesians are described as dead in the sins in which they used to live. They were dead spiritually while being alive physically. In other words, they were spiritual zombies. Zombie is a term for the living dead, and people who do not believe in Jesus are alive physically but they are dead spiritually. Now what does it mean to be dead spiritually?
Verse 2 says “you followed the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” In other words, just going with the flow, doing what everybody else does, floating downstream and in so doing we were following the devil, the ruler and spirit of the air. So I’ve just summarized this by the word “devilish.” That’s what it means to be dead spiritually; we just follow the world and the devil.
Secondly to be dead spiritually means to be disobedient (verse 2). We could care less about God, we live as the lord of our own lives, as if there were no God, as if He had not given us His Word. We are insubordinate and unsubmissive. We are rebellious, non-compliant, self-willed, stiff-necked, unwilling and unbending. We are not only devilish but also disobedient.
Third, spiritually dead people are depraved. Verse 3 says “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts”; led around by our cravings, by our desires, by our impulses. We are base, corrupt, polluted, tainted, vile, warped and wretched. If I would get a thought in my mind to go gratify the cravings of my flesh I would do it. That’s depravity.
So, as unpopular and offensive as this is, this is the condition of every one of us by birth: Spiritually dead. Which means we followed the world and the devil, we were disobedient and depraved.
Back to John chapter 4, and let’s acknowledge the truth that herein is the great failure of religion. The Muslims can pray 5 times per day toward the East, they can walk on their knees to Mecca, but that does not raise them from the dead. Other religions allow you to buy indulgences, pay for forgiveness, but you can’t buy life. Man-made religion is an utter and miserable failure, because it all focuses on us doing something, but dead people can’t do anything.
If you ever get around a religion that has at its core something that you do to be somehow make yourself right with God, run like the wind and never look back. It is a man-made, man-centered religion that will appeal to your natural pride but will keep you alienated from God and dead in your sins.
And guess what? Education is not the answer. Oh now I’m going against the American idol, but just try to read a book to a dead person and you’ll discover that they don’t learn well; they are really quite unteachable. They don’t make any changes in their lives, all that information does not lead to transformation. They’re still dead.
So if religion and education are not the answers, what is the solution? The solution is verses 24 and 25:
I want us to notice in these verses you have two phrases that are similar: verse 24 “hear my word and believe” is connected with verse 25 “hear the voice of the Son of God”. And then you have verse 24 “have eternal life and will not be condemned” connected with verse 25 “live.”
You mean that’s it? You mean I hear and believe and I’m raised from the dead? Just hearing and believing and I’m no longer dead in sins and trespasses, no longer devilish, no longer disobedient and depraved, no longer an object of wrath? Yes, when we believe, the gavel comes down, the verdict is in, and the sentence is read: “justified, forgiven, and free to go”.
Well my word, since belief is that which makes us crossover from death to live, from condemnation to justification, what is it exactly that we are to hear and believe? It’s the Word of Jesus, specifically the gospel of Jesus Christ. I invite you to turn to Colossians chapter 2. We looked at this briefly last week, but let’s see more this week. Remember how we said there are evidences that someone is dead? No breathing, no heartbeat, no pulse, or spiritually, following the world and the devil, disobedient, depraved. Well there are also evidences for new life as well.
13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:13-15
This is the Word of Jesus, the gospel, that if we believe we have eternal life. Notice these truths. People who are alive are forgiven people. We do not carry around sin’s guilt, because Jesus carried sin’s guilt. We are forgiven, absolved, acquitted, pardoned and released.
Next, the law has no power to condemn us because it condemned Jesus in our place. See the law is like the African Honey Bee, they can only sting once and both the bee and whoever it stings is dead. They both die together. Because Jesus had our sins on Him the law condemned Him and sentenced Him to death, and both Jesus and the law were nailed to the cross. There is therefore now no condemnation for us who are in Christ Jesus, because Jesus was condemned instead of us.
Finally, the devil has no power to kill and destroy us, because Jesus disarmed him. Jesus on the cross was beaten and bloodied and stripped of his clothing, and in so doing exposed the devil and made a public spectacle of him.
So that Jesus forgave us, He destroyed the law’s condemning power, and He destroyed the devil’s enslaving and destroying power, thereby declaring victory at the cross.
This is the message that brings life. This is the gospel. This is Jesus’ Word, and to hear and repent and believe brings life from the dead.
So the application is simple this morning: are you dead or alive? Are you in the casket or in Christ? If you’re dead you need to turn from your sin and believe the good news. Just hear it this morning, “you’re forgiven. You’re forgiven.” Believe it, receive His grace, rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you, and you’ll live a new life and enjoy a new Lord.
If you’re a believer I want to give you two applications. First, please submit all your issues to the beauty and power of the gospel. Christians have so many issues that we feel are so important. But let’s put importance on what the Bible puts importance: the gospel. The cross. The Resurrection. The power of the Spirit to raise the dead. Let’s not talk to each other about our issues, let’s talk about the benefits of Jesus death, His bloodshed, and His resurrection. And the power of it to raise us when we hear and believe.
The second application is this: if you are believer, let’s celebrate. Let’s worship. We were dead and now we’re alive. We were enemies of God and now we’re friends. Through His death He made us alive. Let’s learn how to worship with all our hearts, let’s sing and shout and praise and dance. You were dead, you’re now alive.
As we sing this next song I invite you to thank Jesus in your heart and with your voice. Just spend some time thanking Him. You can sing or you can thank Jesus or whatever you want to do.
Song: “Jesus, Thank You”
Let’s Pray: “Father we were once your enemies, once dead in sins and trespasses, dead to you. We treated you with contempt, by our sins nailing you to your cross. But how amazing that the cross we nailed you to reconciled us to the Father, and made Your enemy Your friend, raising us from the dead, seating us at Your table, and now here we are crying out our thanks to You. Jesus thank you. Jesus thank you. Jesus thank you.”
